The New York City subway system was thrown into chaos when a Guatemalan migrant was accused of setting a sleeping subway rider on fire, resulting in her tragic death. The incident, which occurred on an idling F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn, shocked commuters and law enforcement officials alike.
Dramatic video footage captured the moment NYPD officers swarmed the suspect on a packed Manhattan subway train. The officers, who had been waiting on the platform at the 34th Street–Herald Square station, quickly apprehended the alleged killer as he sat calmly inside the train car. Despite the crowded conditions, the officers managed to subdue the suspect and place him in handcuffs, much to the shock and confusion of onlookers.
Prior to the arrest, three high schoolers had alerted police to the suspect’s presence at the Jay and York Street station on the F line. Cops quickly halted the train at Herald Square, went from car to car, and successfully located and arrested the suspect. The man, whose identity has not been released pending charges, was found with a lighter in his pocket.
According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the suspect walked up to the victim, who was seated at the end of a subway car, and used a lighter to ignite her clothing. The victim, whose identity remains unknown, tragically succumbed to the flames before patrolling officers could reach her. The suspect was later apprehended on the platform, where body-worn cameras provided a clear image of the killer.
Authorities later carried the victim’s body out of the train in a body bag, as the suspect, a Guatemalan migrant who arrived in the US in 2018, was taken into custody. The man’s legal status in the country was not immediately clear, but sources indicated that he had been detained by border patrol agents in Arizona in 2018.
The tragic incident has left New Yorkers reeling, as they grapple with the senseless loss of life on their city’s public transportation system. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, as authorities work to bring justice to the victim and her grieving loved ones.
